No Required Caloric Information on the Marquee for Movie Theaters

You've seen the numbers in fast-food restaurants, you've seen them in chain coffee vendors, you've gawked at them at your local cupcake chain. Well get ready to be even more informed about the caloric levels of the food you consume. Following through with his massive overhaul of food safety laws and guidelines, President Obama issued his proposed rules regarding vendors displaying caloric information last Friday. But don't worry; there are still some havens of caloric ignorance that were omitted from the rules.

The new regulations, which will take effect in 2012, apply to establishments with 20 outlets or more whose primary business is food sales. This means that fifty-percent of the total floor area is used for food sales. These eateries will be required to post the caloric content of each food and drink item on menu boards. Vending machines must also comply. But some vendors have been exempt because food is not their primary business: airplanes, bowling alleys, amusement parks, hotels and, to their great relief, movie theaters. This is happy news for the theaters especially because while movies are their primary means of money, popcorn sales and buckets of cola don't hurt profits. And if people were able to see the exact caloric information behind those treats, they might think twice before ordering a large popcorn combo for one.

In a 2009 report commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, researchers found that movie theater popcorn ranged from 400-1,200 calories. Add a regular soda and tack on yet another 150 to 500 calories. To put the numbers into perspective, the researchers wrote that a combo of a medium popcorn and non-diet soda equals the calories in a meal of six scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, four bacon strips, and four sausage links. Add some candy into the mix and you get 300 to 1,110 more calories. And what about that delicious faux-butter topping? That salty, buttery treat will cost you 120-130 calories per tablespoon.

Now that we've revisited those terrifying numbers, let's all breathe them in, accept them, and forget we ever saw them — made easier by the fact that they won't be posted at concession stands across America. Or, alternatively, let's just start bringing massive, six-egg breakfasts into the theater instead of purchasing popcorn and get more bang for our caloric buck.

What do you think about caloric information on menus? Do they affect the way you order? Should they be common practice for even more establishments?